Measuring the Earth's Temperature

Starting with temperature records collected over 100 years ago, Measuring the Earth's Temperature takes the viewer from the earliest weather stations and balloon launches, to a network of super weather stations constructed in the 21st century.Highlights include showing how weather balloon launches work, the anatomy of a weather station, and how weather data, using computers, is transformed into long and short term weather forecasts.This very same data is also used to graph yearly temperature changes across the planet. Measuring the Earth's Temperature simplifies the centuries of complex meteorological data, and answers the question "How do scientists know the temperature of the earth?"
  • Title ID 66-MET
  • Science, Core Science, Earth Science, Meteorology
  • 1 Program
  • 3 Supplemental Files
  • 10th Grade through Post Secondary
  • Published by Ambrose Video Publishing Inc./Centre Communications
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Measuring the Earth's TemperatureRunning time is 29 minutes

Scientists and meteorologists use meteorology's data gathering, specifically temperature data to measure the Earth's temperature and use it to help them understand the dynamics of climate change and global warming.

Chapter List
The Earth's Atmosphere
This chapter examines the many layers of the Earth's atmosphere, including the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and the tropopaus.
History of Temperature Data Collection
The history of meteorology and the collection of meteorological data is discussed in this chapter.
How the Earth's Temperature is Measured
This chapter shows how weather forecasters and meteorologists use weather stations as well as weather radar, weather satellites, weather balloons, and the radiosonde to make atmospheric observations and gather data used to create, weather models.
Super Weather Stations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, has built a network of super weather stations known as the U.S. Climate Reference Network, which sends meteorological data that can be used to help understand Earth's climate to the National Climatic Data Center.
Graphing the Earth's Temperature over Time
Temperature data comes from Hadley Center in Great Britain, NOAA and NASA, and is used to track temperature trends and show temperature anomalies - a particular year's temperature difference from the average of many years - that can be used to help understand . Climate Change and Global Warming.
Regional Temperature Differences
Regional temperatures vary but all regions show the effects of global warming and climate change, from the Mid-latitudes loss of glaciers to the Arctic's loss of sea ice and melting permafrost.
The Role of Temperature Data in Climate Change Models
Scientists use the temperature data in climate models to see what impact global warming and climate change will have on extreme weather, sea level rise, climates and ecosystems.

Supplemental Files

MARC Records for MET
MARC records for the series Measuring the Earth's Temperature
Teachers Guide for Measuring the Earths Temperature
Transcription for Measuring the Earth's Temperature